Movie Review: 'Speak No Evil' Starring James McAvoy

Speak No Evil (2024)

Directed by James Watkins

Written by James Watkins

Starring James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Aisling Franciosi

Release Date September 13th, 2024

Published September, 13th, 2024

Speak No Evil stars Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy as Ben and Louise Dalton, a couple vacationing in Italy with their young daughter, Agnes (Alix West Lefler). The trip is relatively mundane and going as planned until the family is befriended by another family headed up by Paddy (James McAvoy) and his wife, Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) and their son, Ant (Dan Hough). Ant has a condition that prevents him from being able to speak. The families spend the rest of their vacation together and things seem pleasant enough.

After returning to their respective homes, the Dalton’s in London and Paddy’s family on a farm in the countryside, Ben and Louise are surprised with an invitation to spend a week in the country with their new friends. Struggling at home with Ben having lost his job and Louise battling the isolation of being in a new country with few friends and no other family around, the couple agree to accept the invitation. It’s a fateful decision as this trip is set to change everyone’s lives forever in ways they can’t begin to imagine.

Speak No Evil is an American remake of a Danish thriller called Gaesterne, translated as The Guests. That film earned remarkably positive reviews around the world, even as it is said to be even more bleak and unrelenting than Speak No Evil, a movie that is unquestionably relentless. It’s relentless in how it begins awkwardly and builds tension not through the consistent presentation of violence but rather through minor to major aggression. Paddy’s behavior specifically drives the plot with his pushy, often rude, manner, pressing hard on the border between banter and bullying.

James McAvoy is stunningly great in Speak No Evil. His ability to effortlessly overtake a scene with only his energy and manner is fascinating and scary. Watch McAvoy’s eyes; the play of emotions, the often barely controlled rage that can melt into empathy, kindness. or romance in moments is riveting to watch. Yes, McAvoy is certainly doing the MOST acting but I would stop short of saying that he’s hammy overbearing. Rather, McAvoy is riding the razor’s edge between over the top too-much-ness and just the right amount of actorly crazy.

Scoot McNairy meanwhile does an excellent job of being a man in the midst of a crisis of confidence and masculinity. At one point, Ben had a high paying job and the respect of his wife and peers. Then, he lost his job and caught Louise trading saucy text messages with another man. Ben’s crisis makes him the perfect target for Paddy who tastes Ben’s insecurity like a shark swimming through blood. Their dynamic begins to border on homoeroticism in how Paddy tries to act as a role model, big brother, and guru to Ben. Scoot McNairy does a great job of letting out his insecurities but maintaining his own idea of what it is to be a man and the movie is smart to endorse the notion that insecurities are normal and don’t reflect a lacking masculinity.

That notion of male identity lingers in the soul of Speak No Evil as Paddy’s over the top, in-your-face brand of masculinity boils over into a disturbing aggression as the story begins to rage out of control into a killer thriller finish with a cat and mouse climax that is genuinely gripping. McNairy and Mackenzie Davis cut a fine figure of a couple struggling to keep things together in the midst of a marital crisis of their own making. The way their marital issues play a significant role in how the story plays out is another smart and engaging aspect of Speak No Evil.

I don’t want to give anything away so, no spoilers. I will say you likely already know where this story is heading, the movie isn’t trying to hide that. Rather, what writer-director James Watkins does so well is not hide the destination of the movie. Instead, he uses our expectations to create tension that builds to the place where we assume the story is headed. One of the child characters is used impeccably well to further the plot and create new and inviting tension with each scene they are featured in.

Speak No Evil is one terrific thriller. The structure and style works brilliantly with the performances to make a movie that feels whole. The film proceeds from a strong logic and never tips over into the truly predictable or rote. James McAvoy’s unpredictable performance is the stand out but there are no weaknesses in this small cast. Under the guidance of writer-director James Watkins all of the details of production design, cinematography, and acting are detailed and carefully crafted to make a thriller that feels fresh and exciting while still being familiar as an exercise in genre filmmaking.

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